Yggdrasil is a game consisting of ten chapters, following the journey of a commoner named Vikir in a fantasy world as he fights against the Ten Demon Dukes to protect the world.
That world is also filled with countless fantasy creatures, the Seven World Monsters, and endless mysteries waiting for players to uncover.
And just a few minutes ago, I perfectly cleared Chapter 1 of that very game.
Even though I haven't played the later chapters with higher difficulty yet, this is still an unprecedented record for a game that has existed for ten years.
And yet… now it seems I've been transported into that very game.
Worse still, I'm not the protagonist—the one blessed by the gods with overwhelming talent.
The body I've possessed belongs to Cyan Von Velton, the third son of the Velton family—the most powerful lightning mage clan in the entire nation of Leonhart, and one of the Four Great Families of this land.
Sounds lucky, right?
Unfortunately… this guy is a complete failure.
He possesses three talents:
Thunder Divine Art, Infinite Law, and Atomic Dominion.
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Thunder Divine Art is the innate lightning affinity flowing through the Velton bloodline.
As its name suggests, it allows the user to easily learn lightning magic and reach high levels of mastery. It also attracts lightning spirits and enables efficient use of lightning-based weapons.
It grants:
• 40% resistance to lightning attacks
• 20% resistance to derivative lightning branches, as well as light and dark magic
Drawback: Takes 1.2x damage from earth-based attacks.
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Infinite Law allows that whenever mana drops below 10%, total mana increases by 0.125%. This effect can be triggered once per day.
It also grants proficiency in most non-elemental magic.
When total mana reaches 100,000, the user can learn:
• Distortion
• Magic Resistance (costs no mana, usable up to 3 times every 6 days; each skill has ~2 days cooldown)
Drawback: Mana cannot be increased through leveling or any conventional means.
Atomic Dominion allows manipulation of molecular structures at the cost of 100 mana per molecule (requires direct contact).
It can also distort space depending on scale, with a minimum requirement of 100 million mana (usable once per week).
Drawback: Healing effects on the user are reduced by 1.3x.
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It's obvious at a glance—no matter how much I exhaust myself, burn through my youth, or push my limits, these talents are practically useless in the early stages. They only begin to shine when I'm over forty years old.
To make matters worse, mana recovery for a beginner takes a full day. (Reduced by 1.36 times every 10 levels.)
Still… it's not hopeless.
Right now, I'm just a newborn.
Unlike the original Cyan, who only started half-hearted training at the age of four like other children…
I have awareness far earlier than anyone else.
I can start training now—and change a fate that was supposedly set in stone.
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This family also provides me with a high-grade potion: +10 mana for one day (non-stackable).
For adults, it's basically trash.
But for infants, it helps develop the body.
Because mana is the source of life—more mana means more energy for daily activity.
Even better… it stacks with my talent.
And since this potion is only given until the age of five—before the aptitude test—
this is my window.
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With this tiny amount of mana, I need to quickly form a mana core.
Otherwise, my mana will keep leaking out, and I won't be able to fully utilize my talents.
But this isn't a game.
I can't just click a few buttons and be done with it.
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"Feel the flow of mana…"
"Maybe I should try something like meditation…"
"…Haah. Three hours have passed. I still can't feel anything."
"Honestly, I can sense a mosquito nearby more easily than this."
"Why is it so hard… what am I doing wrong?"
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Suddenly, the door opened.
A figure with platinum hair walked in… and picked me up.
"—Jwewuqrgqhrqirq…"
No mistake.
That appearance—
She's Elysia Von Velton.
A major character in the story… and Cyan's older sister.
Someone who will, in the future, be manipulated by a demon simply because she pitied her younger brother.
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"What is she even saying… I can't understand a thing."
"She seems… happy."
"…But seriously, she's been pinching my cheeks for five minutes now."
"What is she doing here? Just visiting me?"
"She's the second child of the main family, already ten years old—normally she should be staying in the main estate."
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"But… something feels strange."
I slowly closed my eyes.
And then—
I felt it.
A flowing current, gently weaving around me.
"…Is this what they call the flow of mana?"
"It feels… denser around my cheeks."
"This purple current… must be my sister's lightning mana."
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"I see now."
"This is the nursery. The ambient mana here is extremely thin—only maids from other families come in."
"But with her presence…"
"Even the restrained mana leaking from her body is enough for me to perceive the flow."
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"Though… while this is great…"
"My dear sister doesn't look like she's planning to stop pampering me anytime soon."
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So I did the only thing I could.
I started crying.
"—Sob… Sob…!"
"…Damn, this is way too embarrassing for an 18-year-old."
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But she still didn't stop.
"—wurhnwnrjfrnfn…"
"She actually looks even happier now…"
"As expected of one of the monsters of this family—to enjoy a crying baby this much."
"This is outrageous…"
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After ten minutes, she gently said something to me again—
soft, affectionate…
"—bruhannelmaolmaoiwijajfdma…"
I still couldn't understand.
But from her gentle… yet slightly sorrowful eyes—
I could tell.
It felt like a farewell.
⸻
"This must be when she's ten years old…"
"The time she leaves for the royal academy, following my older brother—Leon Von Velton—to become a royal mage."
"When I played the game, she always felt cold toward Vikir…"
"But maybe… toward her baby brother…"
"She was always kind."
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Eventually, she left.
After showering me with affection… and that bittersweet goodbye.
⸻
But that doesn't matter now.
Because—
I can feel mana.
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The faint traces she left behind… along with the little that remained in the room—
I slowly gathered them.
From every part of my body—
I guided them inward…
twisting…
compressing—
into my heart.
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"…I did it."
"A mana core… is formed."
"So I have 18.36 mana now… not bad."
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"What I need next…"
"is a spell that consumes around 18 mana."
"A basic lightning spell… that shouldn't be too hard."
"At its core, it's just channeling mana from the heart to the hand…"
"And adding the command to release it…"
"…which will completely drain me."
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"Whatever."
"I don't remember any spell that uses exactly 18 mana…"
"But 18.36 should be enough for this one."
"Even if it's just the minimum to fire it one meter."
I focused again.
Guiding the flow from my heart—
through my body—
into my arm—
to my fingertip.
A faint purple glow appeared.
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"Release."
⸻
A tiny lightning orb shot out from my finger—
flew past the cradle—
and dissipated into the air.
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It wasn't even a real attack.
But…
it felt incredible.
More beautiful than fireworks.
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And then—
A crushing pressure surged from my heart.
My body lost all strength.
Of course.
I had completely exhausted my mana.
⸻
Slowly—
my consciousness faded away.